A bruised fingernail is a fairly common and serious injury that damages the nail plate and soft tissues of the finger. Clinical symptoms may resemble a fracture.
The index and thumb are injured more often than other fingers.
Most often, such injuries occur at home; fingers suffer from blows from heavy objects or pinching between hard surfaces. Possible damage during sports activities. In most cases, the index finger and thumb are injured.
The most common causes of nail plate injury
No one is immune from this type of damage, but the chance of injury increases under the following circumstances:
- Long nails. It doesn’t matter whether they are natural, extensions or false ones - the longer the nail plate, the greater the chance of tearing it away from the nail bed.
- Using aggressive nail polish removers. Solvents with a high content of acetone soften the nail plate and make it more pliable to mechanical stress.
- Psoriasis, fungus and other diseases of the nail bed that affect the condition of the tissues.
- Wearing uncomfortable shoes: high heels, pointy toes, excessively hard and inflexible soles - all this increases the likelihood of toenails falling off.
Reference! The risk of breaking a nail also increases if you are taking aggressive antibiotics or undergoing chemotherapy.
How can you tell if you've picked a toenail or toenail?
It is not difficult to understand that you have torn off a nail. The symptoms are as follows:
- The torn nail cracked, and blood accumulated under the plate.
- A nail that is pulled out by the roots or a portion of it is no longer attached to the nail bed.
- Throbbing, stabbing pain in the area of injury.
Advantages of nail prosthetics for fungus
If a fungal infection occurs, this means that very soon delamination, deformation, splitting and atrophy of the plate will begin. This makes it so fragile that the slightest impact breaks the nail.
If the damage is very severe, the person tries to choose wider shoes and reduce movement to a minimum. It is worth noting that the risk that the fungus will spread to soft tissue is very high. It can also be accompanied by a bacterial infection, followed by severe inflammation.
To avoid everything listed above, prosthetics are used, which help restore health to the lower extremities. However, it is necessary to remember that there is practically nothing in common between this procedure and nail extensions.
In the second case, craftsmen use the synthetic material acrylic, which creates a very durable and non-plastic coating. Plates made from it last a very long time, but if the tissues are affected by a fungal infection, the substance can injure them, which will lead to complications of the disease.
Recommended articles on the topic:
- Medical hardware pedicure
- Curvature of the nail plate
- Removing an ingrown toenail and how to avoid it
When performing nail prosthetics, softer materials are used, which make it possible to create a plate similar to a natural one. They do not have any negative effect on the damaged finger, but only help recovery and prevent re-infection.
Very often, prosthetics are performed for ingrown toenails, which are a consequence of fungus. The fact is that the artificial plate prevents deformation of the natural one and corrects its shape.
Often this procedure is used when most of the nail is removed, which often occurs during surgery on a plate affected by a fungus, or after deep hardware cleaning.
Thus, when, as a result of any therapeutic measures, an open bed is formed, artificial material allows it to be closed, thereby protecting it from damage or infection.
It is worth noting that prosthetics for fungus is a procedure that is performed exclusively in a medical institution by professional podiatrists. Conducting it at home is excluded.
In addition, you should not take risks and trust the manipulation to masters working in beauty salons. The only thing they can do is to place the denture on a deformed, broken or unattractive plate. But they are unlikely to cope with a fungal disease.
First aid: how to treat, what to apply?
The following describes what you need to do first if you tear off a nail from the root or partially on an arm or leg, how to treat the wound, what to apply and what to smear. First of all, don't panic.
Assess the extent of damage.
Do not try to press the nail or tear it off all the way , as you risk damaging the soft tissue.
- Run cold running water on your injured arm or leg to relieve pain and stop bleeding.
- Then cut or file the part that has come off, moving a few millimeters away from the skin. It is important that manicure accessories are sterilely clean.
- Then start processing.
Cleansing
First, stop the bleeding:
- Soak a piece of gauze with hydrogen peroxide and press it onto the wound. For convenience, place your hand on the table with your palm facing up. If your toenail is damaged, lie down and place a pillow or blanket under your foot. If the bleeding is excessive and does not stop for more than 10 minutes, call an ambulance. There is a high chance that you have a damaged blood vessel.
- Clean the wound of any dried blood or dirt. Fill a bowl with hot water and gently rinse your finger using a soft sponge or cloth. Take a dry, clean, lint-free towel and blot the wound with gentle movements. Do not rub or press too hard to prevent bleeding from reoccurring.
Disinfection
Now let's move on to the stage of tissue disinfection:
- Treat the wound again with hydrogen peroxide and apply antibiotic ointment. Levomekol or Solcoseryl are best suited for this purpose.
- Cover the damaged area with a breathable adhesive bandage - this will minimize the likelihood of a bacterial infection.
If you have completely torn off a nail plate, focus your efforts on ensuring healthy growth of new tissue. Even if the nail is only partially separated from the nail bed, it will not return to its original state, but will grow back from the cuticle.
Important! A torn nail will not be able to grow back - you should not press it down or try to glue it with medical glue. This can negatively affect the growth of the new nail plate, cause inflammation or an allergic reaction.
Do I need to bandage?
In order for the injured nail bed to heal faster, you need to fix the medicinal ointment on it. This can be done with a bandage, but if the toenail is damaged, it is better to use a sterile bandage wrapped around the toe.
This way you can create a kind of air cushion that protects the damaged area from excessive friction from the shoes. In addition, it comes off quite easily from the skin, which makes subsequent care easier.
How to care for your nails after prosthetics
- The prosthesis can last about one to three months. The plate can grow back up to one year if the damage to the infected area is strong enough.
- Since the attachment is carried out to the remainder of the natural nail, a place is formed between the artificial material and the bed where fungus can form and bacteria can multiply. That is why it is necessary to carry out regular treatment with sprays with an antifungal effect (Triclosan, Clotrimazole, tea tree oil).
- It is worth avoiding frequent wearing of narrow shoes, otherwise compression of the prosthesis may occur and, as a result, injury and deformation of the bed.
- Every day you should massage the base of the nail. Manipulation is necessary in order to improve blood circulation at the site of injury. To do this, apply cream, rub and massage each finger, more precisely, the base of the nail, focusing on the injured one. If required, a similar procedure should be done with the lower limbs.
- We must try to exclude situations where there is moisture between the prosthesis and the natural plate for a long time.
- Prosthetics should only be performed by a specialist.
- If the artificial nail is too long, it can lead to problems with the development of the natural plate, namely onychodystrophy.
- You should definitely consult a qualified specialist first.
When can you not do without medical help?
If you experience at least one of the following symptoms of an infection, go to the hospital immediately:
- Increased body temperature and chills.
- Red stripes or spots appear on the finger.
- The swelling and pain get worse every day and interfere with movement and sleep.
- The nail has turned blue or blackened - these symptoms may indicate the presence of a subungual hematoma. If the size of the spot exceeds one quarter of the entire nail area, surgery and drainage may be required.
- There is severe tissue damage around the nail bed - tears, cracks, severe bruising and open suppuration.
- See a doctor if you are unable to clean the wound yourself. For example, you injured your leg on the street by planting a splinter, stone or earthen ball deep under the nail plate. In some cases, you may need a pain-relieving shot or a tetanus vaccine.
- The finger doesn't move, it hurts to move it, or it bends at an unusual angle. To understand the reason for this phenomenon, you will have to undergo an x-ray examination. Some nail injuries often involve a crack or fracture of the bone.
Is there a difference between gel nail prosthetics and extensions?
These two procedures are completely different, since each of them uses different substances.
A nail plate that is infected with a fungus and has lost its functionality as a result cannot be extended. During prosthetics, special mixtures with plasticizers are used, which make it possible to create both a durable and plastic nail. In addition, these components have an antifungal effect, which facilitates treatment of fungus after the update. It is worth noting that the technique for carrying out these two procedures is also different.
As you know, human feet are the part of the body that carries a large number of pathogens. That is why during prosthetics, specialists use exclusively disposable devices (spatulas, etc.). This helps prevent fungus or pathogenic bacteria from spreading.
Home remedies for treatment and recovery
Below we list several folk recipes and techniques that can help speed up the recovery of a torn nail.
Bath with laundry soap
Laundry soap has powerful bactericidal properties and can soften rough tissue. In case of a nail injury, a warm bath based on it will come in handy:
- Pour a liter of hot water into a container and dissolve about one quarter of the laundry soap in it.
- When the water has cooled to a comfortable temperature, immerse the injured arm or leg in it and hold for about half an hour.
Repeat twice a day every day until the wound is completely healed.
Compress with Rivanol
As an addition to laundry soap or instead of it, you can use lotions from the universal pharmaceutical skin care product “Rivanol”. You can soak a gauze compress or a cotton swab with it to bandage it overnight.
"Rivanol" has powerful bactericidal properties : its components stop the synthesis of polypeptides.
Regular pruning
If the nail has been torn off obliquely or lengthwise, periodically trim it at the root to straighten the growth line.
It is noteworthy that nails grow fastest during hormonal changes. These include:
- adolescence;
- premenstrual period;
- pregnancy;
- spring months from late February to early June.
Note! Growth is slowed down by a strict diet low in healthy fats, proteins and vitamins, as well as diseases accompanied by poor circulation, metabolism and the neurotic habit of biting nails.
Nutrition
It is very important to adjust your diet so that the nail recovers faster. It needs sufficient nutrients such as calcium, silicon, vitamins B and A, as well as iron, sulfur and iodine. Diets with limited fats and proteins slow down the growth of the plate, so they should be abandoned. You need to eat a balanced diet. Products for better plate growth:
- Dairy and fermented milk products, cheeses, cottage cheese;
- Sesame, nuts, pumpkin seeds;
- Fatty fish and seafood, seaweed;
- Carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, which are best consumed raw, as well as zucchini;
- Persimmon, avocado;
- Buckwheat and oatmeal.
These products accelerate the growth of nails, making them strong, beautiful and shiny. If you eat several products from the list every day, the removed plate will recover much faster, as evidenced by reviews from many patients. Nutrition plays the most important role in the beauty of nails, as they grow from the inside.
What to do to speed up the healing process?
In case of a nail injury, doctors recommend:
- Cold compresses. Cooling will help relieve pain, reduce swelling and stop bleeding. On the day you are injured, apply ice to the wound every two hours. For convenience, place ice cubes in a bag and wrap them in a towel. Apply cold compresses 3-4 times a day throughout the following days.
- Keep the injured limb elevated. Especially if the finger is swollen. Try to keep your hand above the level of your heart, placing it on a table or pillow. If your toe is injured, take a horizontal position more often and stretch your leg onto a pillow or armrest.
- Refrain from wearing tight shoes. If possible, wear only soft, loose shoes that will not put pressure on the injured toe. Walk around the house barefoot or in slippers until the toe is completely healed.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers. Ibuprofen, Nurofen or Naproxen are perfect for this purpose: they reduce swelling and relieve pain. If the injured finger does not swell, you can take Acetaminophen.
Note! The fact that drugs are dispensed without a prescription does not mean that they can be taken uncontrolled. Make sure in advance that you have no contraindications for use and consult your doctor.
On average, a nail grows completely in six months to a year. You will have to be patient and make every effort to ensure that the new nail plate takes its “rightful” place.
A torn nail on the little finger or other finger is a fairly common situation, and there is no need to be alarmed. Timely treatment and consultation with a doctor will help you quickly solve the problem and return to your normal lifestyle without pain and discomfort.
Use of medications
When considering what to do if a nail is severely bruised, it is necessary to choose the right medications. If the bone tissue does not have cracks, then the limb can heal within a week, and the hematoma will subside for some period of time. It is important to approach therapy competently and purchase medications as prescribed by a specialist.
Remedies that are used for bruised toenails and toenails are intended for topical use and have various components as the active substance.
Depending on the principle of action and composition, all medications are divided into several groups. This:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These include Ibuprofen, Diclofenac. They affect the acute inflammatory process at different stages and inhibit it at the cellular level.
- Local analgesics. When considering what to apply for a bruised nail, be sure to use analgesics. Such drugs contain anesthetics. These are medications such as Lidocaine, Anestezin.
- Creams and ointments that accelerate the resorption of hematomas. These are medications such as Troxevasin, Heparin ointment.
- Means for normalizing blood supply to an injured finger. Such drugs are prescribed in individual cases. They are necessary if a large number of capillaries have been affected. The best example is Actovegin.
A separate stage of therapy is the healing of open wounds, if they appear during injury. Disinfecting solutions, moisturizing ointments, and drying powders are used. In the first days, it is important to reduce the load on the finger on which the nail is injured. Even if the bones are intact, the capillaries and soft tissues were damaged.
